Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel

by Barbara Hartzler

  Jake slammed his fists on the table, hard. Everyone shot back against the booth. “I’m not leaving till I get an answer.”

  “You got your answer.” I stood, the words like a choke collar around my neck as the shadow lunged at me again. I jumped back and the wraith’s claws missed me by mere inches. I couldn’t let this guy win. I curled my fingers into my palms, clenching every muscle in my body. An electric current surged within me, burning my lungs. Finally, my Seer power was turning on. I felt powerful and alive, and I didn’t care anymore. Jake needed to get this through his thick skull. “Leave or I’ll have my buddy here get the bouncers.”

  Electricity coursed through my veins, building up like a ball of energy inside me—making me feel strong and invincible. The current sizzled at the base of my palms.

  “Get out of here.” Will towered over me, fists balled. “Or else.”

  “I don’t think so.” Jake growled, shoving his chair to the ground. The dark wraith billowed taller. “You don’t understand what’s going on here.”

  I wrapped my hand in the crook of Will’s bicep. “I’ve got this, Will. It’s okay.”

  “No, gorgeous. It’s definitely not okay.” His arm encircled my waist as his face twisted, his jaw set. “This is your last warning, man. Get out of here. Now.”

  Kevin rose from his chair. “Bro, don’t make me call security.”

  “That isn’t necessary.” Jake eyed Will and Kevin. The shadow whispered something in his ear, and he glared at Will’s arm around me.

  Suddenly the shadow morphed into a hulking demon, fists raised. Electricity sparked from my hands. In a flash, a pillar of pure light shot down from the ceiling. An equally gargantuan man of white light appeared at my side in a cloud of the brightest white I’d ever seen, outlined in the shape of one burly dude. He shone like the sun and flashed like lightning, his sculpted biceps refracting rays of light in every color—breathtaking in beauty, if the light wasn’t so piercingly white.

  A sense of awe descended upon me. All the noises in the crowded restaurant faded into the background, hushed by the dazzling sight in front of me.

  I gasped and whipped my head from Will to Jake. Blinking like a fool, I couldn’t believe my eyes. But it looked so real.

  The shadow demon made a jab toward Will’s face. Instinctively, my self-defense training kicked into gear and I blocked the demon punch. Sparks singed the air over my head as the man of light mimicked my move, halting the sinister arm. Orange embers shot from the wraith’s arm in a dazzling display of pyrotechnics.

  The shadow-ghoul aimed another swipe, but the white-lightning man blocked the dark punch with one shining blow. Then he landed an uppercut right under the wraith’s ghastly jaw. Shards of every color whizzed by me like diamonds exploding in every direction.

  The demon exploded in a puff of flame and smoke, blowing hot wind on my face. Then, Poof! He evaporated into thin air.

  It felt as if time stopped. All I could see was this immensely beautiful creature in front of me. One word filled my mind.

  Angel.

  He winked one golden eye and blasted skyward, leaving a wake of light that seared my retinas. For a few seconds it was burned into my brain—unmistakable. The translucent outline of feathery wings. But then he disappeared through the restaurant ceiling. I could only stand there in utter amazement, my eyes fixed on that one spot, as if by sheer willpower I could make the glorious creature descend from the heavens and explain himself.

  Did I just summon an angel, and use angel-power to fight off my ex? Could this be part of my gifts as the Seer?

  “Maybe I’ll see you around.” Jake’s voice was haughty, more like his usual self. Completely oblivious to the duel between light and shadow that had just totally rocked my universe.

  I lowered my gaze back down to the earthly fight in front of me. It all seemed so pointless now.

  Will grabbed a handful of Jake’s shirt and raised his fist. A low snarl escaped his throat. “If I ever see you hanging around Lucy, even on campus, you’ll wish you never set foot in this city.”

  “Okay, man.” A hint of fear clouded Jake’s eyes. Way to go, Will. “Relax, I’m going.”

  “Just let him go, man.” Kevin cocked his head at Will.

  He released Jake’s shirt and my evil ex stalked off, squinting daggers over his shoulder the whole time. Will stared Jake down until he punched open the front door.

  Then the waiter came back. “Everything all right, Kevin?”

  Suddenly my entire body started shaking. The restaurant whirled around me, whizzing in circles like a funnel cloud of light and shadow. Did I really just see angels fighting wraiths? How crazy was that?

  Will unclenched his fist, his fingers grazing my cheek. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Except for the fact that I maybe just used my Seer powers for the first time. Everything spun by too fast, except Will’s face. Worry lines etched between his eyebrows. Then it all faded out. Like I’d fallen into an abyss, and I’d keep falling forever. My knees buckled under me, but strong arms gripped me on either side. Will’s arms.

  Chapter 9

  Vague shapes greeted me when I opened my eyes, wisps of gray mist outlined by shadows. A dark hand pressed something cold against my forehead. Too cold. I jerked up, and the world righted itself again.

  Shanda rubbed my forehead.

  “What happened?” I searched the dining room. No strange images of shadowy figures and lightning men fighting, just worried faces from Shanda, Kevin, and Will. Disappointment seeped down the back of my throat. Back to reality.

  “I think you passed out.” Shanda peeled back the icy napkin from my forehead. “Any better?”

  “Getting there.” I tried to force out a smile, but it hurt my head. A fleeting thought passed through my mind, like maybe what I just saw was all in my head. Yet I knew, deep down, it was real. It felt so real. I’d have to learn how to pace myself the next time I used my powers. Who wanted a fainting Seer?

  Will flagged down Jeremy, another worry line creasing over the bridge of his nose. “Get her a milkshake, quick.”

  Jeremy pulled the pen out from behind his ear. “What flavor?”

  “It doesn’t matter, chocolate I guess. It’s an emergency.” He rubbed my hands between his, faster and faster.

  Jeremy zigzagged among the maze of tables, like I’d started a fire or something. It would be almost laughable, if I had an ounce of energy to laugh.

  “What are you doing?” The friction from Will’s hands warmed me, surging through my body, pushing back the fog.

  A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I don’t know, just trying to get your circulation going, I guess.”

  Jeremy reappeared and plopped the shake in front of me.

  Will ripped open the straw, dunking it in the cold liquid. “Sip this, slowly.”

  The icy chocolate goo sluiced down my throat. It tasted good. Then a fleeting sadness hit me. I couldn’t stop picturing the fight—the real one, with the angel and the shadow. And I just wanted the golden-eyed angel to come back. My head throbbed again. “Did that really just happen?”

  “What a jerk!” Shanda shouted as if she couldn’t contain it any longer. “I can’t believe he drove all the way here from Indiana. What a creep.”

  “I’m sorry I asked him to join us.” Kevin slumped over the remnants of his burger.

  “It’s not your fault. He would’ve sat down anyway. He thinks he owns the whole world.” Was my head the punching bag in that fight? It sure felt that way. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek on Will’s shoulder.

  Without saying a word, he reached over and stroked my hair.

  “Mmm, that feels nice,” I murmured. “I’m just glad you guys had my back.”

  Will lifted his hand from my head and picked up a French fry, dangling it in my face. “Maybe you should eat something.”

  “If you insist.” I munched on the cold fry, as if simple carbs could magically imbue me with enough courage t
o say what I knew I had to say. “I’m sorry to put you in the middle of that. You deserve an explanation.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” His hand returned to my hair. “That part’s up to you. It’s your story to tell, or not.”

  “Thanks.” When I lifted my eyes to meet his, the look on his face wasn’t the normal sad mixture of pity and horror. A glimmer of understanding lurked in his eyes, like maybe he could relate.

  “Please.” Kevin exhaled sharply. “I’ve got tons of exes at Montrose. At least none of them are psychotic, though.”

  “Shut it.” Shanda punched his arm. Then her eyes widened like it just dawn on her. “Wait, how many academy girls have you dated?”

  “A few.” Kevin fluffed up his surfer spikes, glancing anywhere but at Shanda. “But that was a long time ago.”

  “So was Jake, or so I thought.” The words eked out in a low whisper, as if someone punched all the air out of me. The truth of what I’d seen swirled around with the straw in my shake. No way would these guys believe my angel-fighting a demon story. Even I didn’t know for sure if it was real. So I focused on the present reality. “I was so shocked at first to see Jake, then mad. Seething mad. When I’m that upset, I can barely speak, you know? I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was alone.”

  With that, I shoved a few fries into my mouth and everyone went back to munching on their dinners. Maybe I could hold off on the breakup spiel as long as possible. Once was enough for one weekend.

  “I should’ve said something sooner.” Will’s voice grew loud enough that Kevin and Shanda put down their sandwiches. “I saw your ex hanging around outside the student union earlier today.”

  “On campus?” I almost choked on a fry. “I can’t believe him!” Nausea slapped me in the face like a giant wave. My hands shook and my heart fluttered again.

  “How’d he even find us here? It’s not like this is anywhere near campus.” Shanda’s eyes widened. “He must’ve followed us. That crazy stalker.”

  “Stop it. I don’t even want to think about it.” Images of the shadowy hand around my throat sent a chill through me. Will’s fingers brushed mine with a spark, like the angel when he appeared. In spite of the Jake trauma and the angel/shadow drama, I still felt electricity whenever Will touched me.

  “Isn’t there something we can do about it?” Shanda turned her head toward Kevin who only shrugged.

  “We should alert campus security,” Will switched to a matter-of-fact tone, “and your dorm mom. Other than that, there’s not much we can do, sorry to say.”

  “What about a restraining order or something?” Shanda shredded her napkin into confetti.

  “Not without any threat of violence.” Kevin clicked his tongue at her. “I heard it in my Criminal Justice class. Besides, that wouldn’t stop an attack, just put him in jail if he tried anything. It makes me sick.”

  “It’s not that bad. He’s not violent or anything.” I shuddered at the mere idea of it. “Still, I’d feel better if we alerted campus security, like Will said.”

  I wobbled my bottom lip at Shanda, praying she could read my mind.

  She pushed back her chair and hooked her arm in mine. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. I’ll go with you when we get back to campus.”

  “I think we should all go with Lucy to talk to campus security.” Will’s hand found the small of my back and led me out of the restaurant, just like he had the other day. I was almost started to get used to this guy. But I couldn’t think about that, not now.

  “Good idea.” Shanda nodded, catching up with Kevin.

  Will’s pace slowed, and I slowed with him. Once we were out of earshot of the academy’s hottest new couple, he turned to me. “Why don’t you let me take you out on a proper date? How about next weekend?”

  The idea rolled around like a loose pinball in my brain. Nothing made sense any more. After what he did for me tonight, how could I turn him down?

  “I’d like that.” I smiled up at him and let him lead me down the busy sidewalk. After tonight, I might let him lead me anywhere.

  Chapter 10

  A rosy hue lit up the wooden altar of the chapel sanctuary. I tiptoed to the nearest hand-carved pew and kicked back to watch the stained-glass sunset—and do a little recon. Even after everything that happened over the weekend, I still needed to figure out my brother’s postcard.

  Evening rays slanted through the multi-colored panes, splashing the room with faded light. A mosaic waltzed across the floor tiles, the entire formation an intricate dance more spectacular than each piece on its own. Pulling out the postcard, I read the strange words over again. Wish you were here, lil sis. I found a great church here. I hope you find one, too.

  What could James possibly mean by that? Flipping the postcard over, I stared at the Gothic style church depicted on the front. This building was much older than the Montrose chapel. Turning the card over again, I read the caption in the bottom left-hand corner, Church of Santa Lucia, Parma, Italy. I’d been hearing a lot about St. Lucia in the past week. Maybe I should dig up a little dirt on this elusive saint.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” At the sound of a male voice, I stiffened and turned. Bryan rested his hand on the back of my pew. “You ready?”

  “I could watch this all day. Can’t our class meet out here instead?” The world made more sense here in the chapel. Less overwhelming. So peaceful I never wanted to leave.

  “Hey, good idea. After class, maybe we can have our Guardian meeting out here.” He tugged on my hand and I followed him down the cold tiles.

  “Do you guys still want me to join, despite my Nexis heritage?” I cringed. “I’m such a mess,” I whispered to my shoes. I always blurted out my ramblings, even the intensely personal ones. This time it felt okay, like this guy might understand.

  “You decide your own destiny, good or bad.” He swung open the library door. It creaked on its hinges.

  What an odd response. I scrunched up my forehead in the way Mom hates. She insists I look like a worried bulldog, but was Bryan secretly full of fortune cookie sayings?

  Losing focus, I tripped over the door jamb and my hand smacked into a small plaque on the wall I hadn’t noticed last time. In shiny bronze etching it announced the Societates Neutrum Rare Book and Manuscript Collection. Did that mean neutral societies? Interesting.

  Bryan motioned me over to a table in the middle of the room. Piles of books littered the tabletop dotted around the room. Dad would love this, all the antiques and old books.

  The rest of the class trickled in behind us, taking their seats. I pulled up a chair at the Guardian table. The redheaded trio of Lenny, Laura, and Felicia made Brooke’s dirty blonde hair stand out even more. She stared back at me as I eased into my chair.

  “Where’s Tony?” I glanced around the shelves, but the dark-haired Italian didn’t slink out from behind the shadowed stacks.

  “Soccer practice.” Laura answered from her seat next to me.

  Class wouldn’t start for another five or ten minutes, so I pulled out my sketchpad and charcoal pencils. With my pencil, I traced a feathery outline of the white image branded into my mind. Those delicate wings, so alive, so full of light in every shade. How could my simple drawing recreate their splendor? I smudged the edges with my index finger, but it only diluted the white, as if the wingtips were singed by the shadow. That’s not the way it happened, not in my mind. I ripped off the page and crumpled it in my hands.

  It felt wrong to be so heartless, yet wrong to draw something untrue to what I’d seen. Could what I imagined somehow be real? It’d felt so real two days ago. But if it wasn’t real, then I needed to have my head examined. I chucked the paper wad into the trash.

  Mr. Harlixton marched into the room and I shoved my sketchpad and pencils into my bag. Maybe I was going crazy, seeing strange things like angel fights, shadowy wraiths, and an old man praying. With my fingertips, I grazed over the familiar bump under my mass of dark hair. Could it be my head injury from s
even months ago, or were my Seer powers finally manifesting themselves? If anyone knew the answer to that question, it’d be the man standing in front of me.

  Picking up an ancient book, Mr. Harlixton hugged it to his chest. “The results of your assessment quiz have been tallied. Tonight I will assign you individual research topics and point you to the books you’ll need for your thirty-page research paper due at the end of the semester. Of course, these resources will only be the starting point. You’ll need to find your own sources, too.”

  Walking around to every student in the classroom, he handed out an assignment sheet and a pair of white gloves. “You’ll need to wear these gloves when you handle the books in this collection. They don’t call this the rare book library for nothing.”

  With tiny hands covered in hospital gloves, Laura flipped through the gilt pages of a decrepit book. “This is so cool.” Her blue eyes flashed.

  “Miss McAllen.” Harlixton hovered over me. “Here’s your research topic and your gloves. Your table looks a little crowded. Why don’t you move to the one by the window?”

  “Okay. If you insist.” I took the gloves and my assignment and headed over to the lead paned window that overlooked the quad out front. Something big was about to happen. Mr. Harlixton had already set out a stack of books for me on the table. Facing the window, I inhaled in a deep breath as I wriggled my fingers into the gloves. Outside, the sky darkened into shades of blue and gray. The uneven glass painted the clouds with a watercolor glow.

  My eyes scanned the research topic and my heart dive-bombed into the pit of my stomach. Harlixton had assigned me the topic of firstborn bloodline powers and listed fifteen or twenty books to choose from. With shaking hands, I reached for the first book entitled, The Chosen Ones and the Line of the Firstborn. Slowly, I eased open the pages, my eyes landing on the lineage of Noah. This book said that each of the Chosen Ones was descended from one of Noah’s sons. As the Seer, I was supposedly descended from Noah’s firstborn son, Shem. As the firstborn son, Shem’s gift as the Seer was purported to be the most powerful of the Chosen Ones. The Seer could see the supernatural world of angels and demons, were said to be super strong, and could wield something called “Angel Fire.” Was that what happened at the Hard Rock Cafe?